During the hot phase of the presidential campaign, erstwhile politics becomes not only the subject of public debates, but besides the hero of online memes and cited statements, even a single conviction can be of large importance. This is what happened to Mr Przemysław Witek (KO), who during the programme Gozdyra Debate On the air Polsat News threw: “What harm is it to promise?”.
These words caused a wave of reaction – both on the opposition and government side. On the 1 hand, they served as a tool to attack the Civic Coalition and Rafał Trzaskowski, on the another hand, led to interior settlement in the group itself.
KO MP punished by the club
The college of the Civic Coalition club decided to respond harshly. According to the club's spokesman, Dorota LobodaMr Przemysław Witek for 3 months suspended in the rights of a associate of the parliamentary club and received ban on speaking in the media.
This different intraparty solution shows how crucial this message was in the context of the current electoral campaign. The decision was made with a view to maintaining the coherence and credibility of the leader of KO – Rafał Trzaskowski, whose possible opponent, Andrzej Duda, utilized all chance to present his rivalry as a fight for “reliability and credibility”.
What harm is it to promise?
Mr Witek's speech fell during the interview with the programme leader, Iwona Gozdyr, who asked him about circumstantial points of the programme list Rafał Trzaskowski. erstwhile the writer asked if Trzaskowski was giving himself a garanza that he would never introduce fresh taxes, Witek replied:
– What harm is it to promise?
That conviction rapidly became viral. Karol Nawrocki's staff immediately utilized them in his media narrative, and netizens turned them into 1 of the most popular memes of this campaign. At the same time, the PiS utilized this message to claim that KO was a organization that did not keep its promises.
KO reactions
Not all coalitions supported the speech of the clubmate's statement. associate Patrick Jaskulski stated that linking this message with the individual of Rafał Trzaskowski "unimaginable manipulation". He besides stressed that Trzaskowski is simply a serious politician who honours his word and electoral commitments.
“We, of course, cut ourselves off from specified wording,” Jaskulski said, trying to separate Witek’s message from the authoritative position of the leader of the KO.
Background to the legal meaning of the statements
Although there is no violation of the law, it is worth mentioning the case law of the Constitutional Court and the general courts regarding the work of politicians for their statements. In many judgments, the Constitutional Tribunal stressed that politicians have circumstantial obligations relating to the accuracy of information and work for words, especially during the election campaign. Although not all gag or irony is subject to legal sanctions, what political ethics look like frequently depends on the assessment of organization environments and society.
In Witka's case, the club's disciplining action can be considered an example of how the organization takes care of the leader's image and avoids situations that can be utilized against him by political opponents.
What happens to the civilian Coalition?
The suspension of Witka shows that inside the KO there is strong control over communication. The parliamentary club wants to guarantee consistency and clarity in the Communication, especially during the presidential campaign, where any false note can take votes from voters.
In this context, the decision to punish was not only symbolic but besides strategical – it was about defending the image of Rafał Trzaskowski as a solid, liable and credible policy.
Continued here:
KO MP punished for the celebrated saying “What harm does it cost to promise”
